Honour public opinion on state bifurcation: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata – Expressing her solidarity with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in his fight to keep Andhra Pradesh united, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that public opinion should be respected in a democracy and decisions cannot be taken unilaterally.

YSR Congress President, who called on Trinamool Congress supremo here yesterday, has sought the cooperation of Banerjee and urged her to oppose the Telangana Bill when it is tabled in the Parliament.

He also said that they were opposing Article 3 which was being misused and it needed to be amended to the effect that a resolution in the State Assembly and Parliament should be made mandatory with a two-thirds majority.

During the interaction with the TMC leader, which went off on a cordial note, Reddy told her that in the absence of such a mechanism, the government in power at the Centre will be splitting the states at its whims and fancies without following any democratic norms.

Giving a personal touch to the meeting, Banerjee has said that Jagan is like her brother. Though there are some demands of division (in West Bengal), her Party is categorical that it stands for national integration and people should live united.

“We can create new districts for development and allocate special funds or give special status for backward areas. If all the stake holders agree for the division, no one will object as it happened in case of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Chattisgarh. Even the Parliament gave its nod with more than two-third majority,” she said.

“But the situation in Andhra Pradesh is different. While one side wants the division the other side is opposing it and it is a delicate issue. Public opinion should be honoured if the Centre wants to divide the State, “she added.

“There will not be any problem if the resolution is unanimously adopted in the House. The Centre did not table the Sri Krishna Committee report. The Centre should take into consideration the Sri Krishna Committee Report and Sarkaria Commission Reports. The Government should table the Sri Krishna Committee Report and take people into confidence, she said.